the latest news on the Iraq Summit, the Iraq Study Group, Iran, global warming, Frist (not) for president, Rick Warren and Barack Obama, the Pope is still in Turkey, living wage, and post-election analysis

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Iraq Summit. Bush, Maliki Put Off Meeting – “President Bush began consultations Thursday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on how to halt the deterioration of security in his country, after their scheduled opening meeting was canceled Wednesday evening…” Bush's meeting with Maliki is canceled – “A highly anticipated meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and President Bush was abruptly canceled, hours after the disclosure of a White House memo questioning Maliki's ability to pacify his country.” Iraq´s Premier Abruptly Skips a Bush Session– “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq and King Abdullah II of Jordan abruptly backed out of a meeting with President Bush, leaving the White House scrambling to explain why a carefully planned summit meeting had suddenly been cut from two days to one.”

Iraq Study Group. Study Group to Call for Pullback – “The Iraq Study Group, which wrapped up eight months of deliberations yesterday, has reached a consensus and will call for a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, shifting the U.S. role from combat to support and advising, according to a source familiar with the deliberations.” Iraq study group wraps up talks – “A blue-ribbon study panel on Iraq completed deliberations and announced plans to release a report next week that is expected to reject both a large U.S. troop increase and a quick U.S. withdrawal.” Iraq Panel to Recommend Pullback of Combat Troops– “The bipartisan Iraq Study Group reached a consensus on a final report that will call for a gradual pullback of the 15 American combat brigades now in Iraq but stop short of setting a firm timetable for their withdrawal,” Joint Chiefs oppose Iraq pullout – “All six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, amid an ongoing Pentagon review of strategy for Iraq, oppose pulling out U.S. troops now, and are also against a specific withdrawal timetable, a defense source said yesterday.”

Democratic Leaders Seek Special Iraq Envoy to Try to Stem the Violence – “Leading Senate Democrats called Wednesday for President Bush to appoint a special envoy to work with Iraqi leaders to bring increasing violence in Iraq under control.”

Iran. Iran's president urges Americans to back Iraq exit – “Iran's president appealed directly to the "God-fearing, peace-loving and justice-seeking" American people in an open letter released Wednesday, saying that the U.S. should leave Iraq and spend the billions of dollars meant for war on the welfare of Americans instead.” Iran´s President Criticizes Bush in Letter to American People– Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the American people that he was certain they detested President Bush’s policies — his support for Israel, war in Iraq and curtailed civil liberties — and he offered to work with them to reverse those policies.” Old enemies embrace in Tehran – “Iran reached out to Iraq and the American public in separate gestures, giving the Baghdad government a $1 billion line of credit while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a personal letter to "noble Americans" calling for a military withdrawal from Iraq.”

Iran's nuclear ambitions seen similar to Holocaust – “Iran's reported drive to make an atomic bomb has become an existential threat to Israel that some Israelis are likening to the Holocaust -- especially with the United States appearing to back away from confrontation with Tehran.”

Global warming. Court Hears Global Warming Case – “The Supreme Court yesterday cautiously confronted for the first time the issue of global warming, hearing a challenge to the Bush administration's refusal to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases in new vehicles.”

Politics. Frist Says He Does Not Intend To Run for President in 2008 – “Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced yesterday that he will not run for president in 2008, saying that he plans to "take a sabbatical from public life" and return to his Tennessee home and professional roots as a doctor.”

Rick Warren & Sen. Obama. Evangelical pastor, Obama join forces to battle AIDS – “They came from different worlds: Rick Warren was the conservative white pastor of a 20,000-strong evangelical church in Orange County; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was a liberal black politician, and a rising star in the Democratic Party. After meeting in Washington, D.C., in January, they started chatting regularly on the phone. … As Warren planned a second international conference on AIDS at his Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, he asked Obama to address the group during a session Friday titled "We Must Work Together." Famed Pastor Defends Invitation to Obama – “Famed pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren defended his invitation to Sen. Barack Obama to speak at his church despite objections from some evangelicals who oppose the Democrat's support for abortion rights.”

Pope in Turkey. Pope reaches out to Orthodox flock – “Pope Benedict XVI journeyed to the ancient capital of Byzantium on Wednesday and celebrated a moment of prayer with the spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians,” Christian Schism Is Focus of Pope’s Second Day in Turkey – “Pope Benedict XVI turned from efforts to repair his damaged relations with Muslims to the central aim of his trip to Turkey: to help heal the 1,000-year rift between the once-united Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.”

Living wage. Groups Press Vanderbilt to Raise Workers’ Wages - “The fragile economic state of some of Vanderbilt’s union employees … and the contrast with university spending elsewhere, like the $6 million renovation of the chancellor’s 20,000-square-foot house, has become a point of contention between the administration and a loose coalition of labor, students and community members.”

Op-Ed. A Veteran Moderate Moves On (By David S. Broder, The Washington Post) – “The House of Representatives wastes no sympathy on defeated members. So at the beginning of this week, Jim Leach of Iowa sat in an office almost devoid of furniture, the walls stripped bare of the mementos of his 30 years of service -- with just a few hours remaining before the painters moved in to prepare his domain for its new occupant.”

Post-election analysis. Election '06: Big Changes in Some Key Groups – “Post-mortems on the election have rightly focused on a few big themes: the impact of the war, opinions about President Bush, and the strong Democratic performance among moderates and independents. But the shifting allegiance of some other important voter groups has gotten relatively less attention. One of the biggest stories is about young people. Another is what really happened to "The God Gap." And a third is about the one-fifth of voters who aren't white.” (Pew Research Center)

When you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free.

- Exodus 23:4-5

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When you love people, you see all the good in them, all the Christ in them. God sees Christ, His Son, in us and loves us. And so we should see Christ in others, and nothing else, and love them. There can never be enough of it. There can never be enough thinking about it.

- Dorothy Day

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Five years ago I traveled to Nairobi to witness firsthand the devastating toll of the AIDS pandemic. I walked the streets of Kibera with a group of courageous and compassionate community health workers. We visited the dilapidated homes of the sick and dying, offering our prayers, blankets, and food, lacking the power of modern medicine to save life. At that time only the most elite and privileged of Kenyan society could access the drugs that perform a Lazarus effect among people in the advanced stages of the disease. With startling clarity I realized the degree to which AIDS exposes the deep fault lines of social inequity in our world.

In 2001 USAID introduced a rapid HIV test that provides a result within minutes instead of days. In a country in which an estimated 10% of the adult population is living with HIV, I was struck by the fact that this voluntary testing and counseling center was almost empty. My traveling companion (a Kenyan woman that worked for Action AID) and I agreed to take the test (with much less fanfare than the recent test taken by Senator Barack Obama). The inequality of AIDS permeated our pre-counseling session as we were both asked how we would cope with the disease if the results were positive. I thought about the friends and family that would respond to my status with love and acceptance, and about the medical care I would receive as a result of my health care coverage in the States (this scenario in the States is also shaped by my socio-economic status). For Susan, a positive result likely translated into both a physical and social death sentence. Due to the prohibitive cost and inaccessibility of AIDS drugs, a positive result meant that HIV would inexorably lead to a lonely and painful death. The pervasive stigma and shame surrounding the disease also meant that a positive status could lead to a social death, characterized by ostracism, rejection, blame, and at worst, violence from one's partner, spouse, or family.

Five years later, in November of 2006, I toured the same dirt roads that form a maze across the temporary housing structures that make up Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya with an estimated million residents. While the face of abject poverty remained hauntingly the same due to the widespread lack of access to clean drinking water, joblessness, and poor santitation- progress made around the crisis of HIV/AIDS provides an exceptional beacon of hope. Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) now operates three clinics in Kibera that provide free AIDS and tuberculosis treatment to thousands of Kibera's poorest residents. I visited one of these clinics and was heartened to see the practical revolution that had taken place since 2001.

Many countries across the continent are turning the corner in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The recently released annual report of UNAIDS cites encouraging evidence that in seven African nations the prevalence rate has declined. These reversals are thanks in large part to breakthroughs in political and civic will from African governments as well as wealthy nations - including our own. Despite some initial challenges, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) had placed 561,000 people on Anti-Retroviral (ARV) treatment across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean as of May 2006. The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has also served as an indispensable vehicle for mobilizing dollars where they are needed most for scientifically sound prevention and treatment programs. In two years, access to treatment has increased tenfold across sub-Saharan Africa. However, the epidemic finds a way to outpace even our most accelerated response. Only 1 in 6 Africans in need of treatment currently have access. Significant barriers remain to making second line therapies more affordable and accessible to those in greatest need.

While in Kenya I attended a conference on treatment literacy with over 40 Christian leaders from nine different African nations, which was sponsored by the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network. While parts of the Christian church are still awakening from what has been a devastating slumber, a majority of churches are now responding with greater compassion, charity, and even calls for justice.

The theme of this year's World AIDS Day is accountability. Targets such as the pledge made by world leaders last year to achieve universal access to treatment by the year 2010, and the Millennium Development Goal to halt and reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015, are in serious danger of being sidelined or ignored. While we should celebrate the corner that has been turned around AIDS treatment, the church must redouble its leadership and prophetic voice to ensure that these targets are realized and the battle around prevention is won. Through its leadership and action we can provide the answer to the timeless question, "is there a balm in Gilead?"

Adam Taylor is director of campaigns and organizing at Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

the latest news on the Iraq war, Israel-Palestine, Obama and the election, the Pope in Turkey, and select op-eds

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Iraq–cost. Wars wearing down military gear at cost of about $2 billion a month – “About $2 billion worth of Army and Marine Corps equipment … is wearing out or being destroyed every month in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Controversy over Pentagon's war-spending plan – “The Pentagon is preparing an emergency spending proposal that could be larger and broader than any since the Sept. 11 attacks, covering not only the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but extending to other military operations connected to the Bush administration's war on terrorism.”

Iraq-Summit. Bush to Press Iraqi Premier On Security – “President Bush signaled plans to both reassure and pressure Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki over deteriorating conditions in Iraq, as the White House prepared for an unusual summit Wednesday in Jordan.” Deeper Crisis, Less U.S. Sway in Iraq– “American fortunes in Iraq are ever more dependent on feuding Iraqis who seem, at times, almost heedless to American appeals.” Bush Adviser´s Memo Cites Doubts About Iraqi Leader– “A classified memorandum by President Bush’s national security adviser expressed serious doubts about whether Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki had the capacity to control the sectarian violence in Iraq …” Text of U.S. Security Adviser’s Iraq Memo

Iraq-Gates. Gates Warns Against Leaving Iraq 'in Chaos' Robert M. Gates, President Bush's nominee to become the next secretary of defense, said he opposes a swift pullout from Iraq, arguing in written testimony submitted yesterday to Congress that "leaving Iraq in chaos would have dangerous consequences both in the region and globally for many years to come." In Statement, Defense Choice Criticizes Iraq Planning In his first detailed public statement since his nomination as defense secretary, Gates criticized the Pentagon as failing to prepare adequately for securing Iraq after the invasion in 2003.

Iraq-Gingrich. Gingrich calls Iraq war a 'failure' – “Former House speaker Newt Gingrich told a New Hampshire audience yesterday that unless the Bush administration admits that the war in Iraq is a "failure," it will never develop a strategy to leave the country successfully.”

Iraq-violence. U.S. Military Predicts Rising Violence in Iraq “BAGHDAD - Parliament voted unanimously Tuesday to keep Iraq under a state of emergency for 30 more days, as a U.S. military spokesman said he expects violence to escalate over the next few weeks in response to Thursday's bombings in Sadr City.” Bush Declines to Call Situation in Iraq Civil War– “On the eve of a high-profile trip to Jordan to meet Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq, President Bush on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that Iraq had descended into civil war, blamed Al Qaeda for the latest wave of sectarian violence…” Bush: GIs will finish mission – “Amid escalating sectarian violence and mounting calls for a change in strategy, President Bush stood fast Tuesday behind his vow not to pull U.S. military forces out of Iraq, while promising to remain flexible in his meetings this week with the Iraqi prime minister.”

Iraq-regional conference. Annan Seeks Summit Outside Iraq to Reconcile Factions– “The U.N. Security Council unanimously extended the mandate for the 160,000-strong U.S.-led coalition in Iraq for an additional 12 months yesterday, as Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed an international conference at a venue outside the war-torn country to forge reconciliation among Iraq's political parties.” Bush firm on Iran, Syria talks – “As pressure mounts for the United States to seek direct talks on Iraq with Iran and Syria, President Bush appeared to rule out any change in his administration's policy toward those Iraqi neighbors.” Top Iran leader vows to aid Iraq – “Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assured Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that Iran will do what it can to help its neighbor quell a spiral of violence…”

Israel-Palestine. Rice joins latest push toward Mideast peace – “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put Washington's heft behind new Mideast peace overtures on Tuesday, scheduling an unexpected meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this week.”

Politics. Obama reaches out in key 2008 states – “As Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) nears a decision on a White House bid, he is taking steps to reach out to potential supporters in important states in the nominating process, including headlining a Dec. 10 rally in New Hampshire, home of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.”

Pope in Turkey. In Turkey, Pope Reaches Out to Islam - “Pope Benedict XVI, beginning the most politically precarious journey of his papacy, called Tuesday for an "authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims" to help stanch terrorism and conflicts around the globe.”

Op-Eds.

Days late dollars short (Derrick Z. Jackson, Boston Globe) – “… just to be at the federal poverty line for a single-parent family of three requires a minimum wage of $8 an hour. So $7.25 is already a decade late and about a dollar short. Kennedy says the new Congress will hike the minimum wage and "raise it and raise it." If it does not, it will be another promise that becomes a broken egg.”

Civil words over a civil war in Iraq – (Clarence Page,Chicago Tribune) – “NBC is the first major TV network to call the war in Iraq a "civil war" instead of an insurgency. With that, a new front has opened over what words best describe the war that Americans are most worried about.”

Everyone now agrees. The mid-term elections were a clear referendum on the war in Iraq. The results are in – the American people want an alternative to the disastrous course of President Bush's deadly policies. Voters rejected Bush's war by inflicting a crushing defeat on his party and turning over the leadership of Congress to the Democrats. It was as stunning a message, and defeat, as we have witnessed in politics for many years.

In the weeks before the election, as October became the bloodiest month for American casualties in almost two years with 106 deaths, the president decided to stop saying, "stay the course." With almost as many Americans dead in Iraq as we lost on September 11, with 20,000 more maimed and crippled, and with estimates as high as 600,000 Iraqi casualties, a change in language seemed appropriate. But the president made it clear, even in the days just prior to the election, that a serious change in course was not being considered by his administration. He fully backed the war policy, enthusiastically supported its architects (Rumsfeld and Cheney in particular) and kept insisting on "victory" in Iraq. But the people voted against George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld – and their war. Democracy prevailed against the war in Iraq. Americans have had enough of the denial of reality, the deceptions (in a war built on lies from the beginning), the incompetence, the corruption (and all of the Bush/Cheney pals who became shameless war profiteers), and, most importantly, the "senseless slaughter" of our young people (as I heard one evangelical pastor in Ohio put it one week before the election). Bush and Rumsfeld just kept saying the same ridiculous things over and over again, but the American people said something very different at the polls – just keep quiet, and stop it. Bush said, "stay the course," but the people said, "stop the course." Within hours, Rumsfeld was gone, and Bush began to sound almost conciliatory and open to change. Amazing.

Bush's Defense Secretary's unique combination of arrogance and incompetence had caused deep public revulsion. The rejection of Rumsfeld became bi-partisan, and even occasioned a rare public revolt in the military. Bob Woodward's book, State of Denial, documented in astounding detail how George Bush, with Rumsfeld and Cheney, had been denying the realties of the war since the beginning – to the American people and even to themselves. Again and again, ideology trumped reality, and those who attempted to bring up disturbing facts – or even serious questions – to the war's policy makers were summarily dismissed. So right after the election, George Bush's partner in the crime of Iraq had to go. Soon after, even Henry Kissinger (one of our leading experts on failed wars) admitted that there would be no "victory" in Iraq. In this year's midterms, the public's message to Bush, Rumsfeld, Chaney, and all the neo-cons led by Bill Kristol was absolutely clear – you are wrong, your war is wrong, and we want you to end it.

There are no more enthusiastic and self-confident pep talks from the White House now. There is only a totally failed strategy, an insurgency fueled by an occupation, and a civil war that has put young Americans in the crossfire of religious and political hatred. And there is only death, for Americans and for Iraqis. American deaths now number nearly 3,000, and the killing of Iraqis seems to get worse by the week. We must also deal with how American morality has been destroyed by this war; its collateral damage now includes our international standing and respect. And let's be clear: according to The New York Times, a National Intelligence Estimate warned that the war in Iraq has increased, not lessened, the threat from terrorism. My children and yours are far less safe, not more, because of Iraq.

Most alarming to many of us was the way George Bush brought his faith into this war. The only thing worse than ignoring the facts is investing your ideological blindness with religious certainty. Religion is meant to provide deep reflection, not easy certainty. But George Bush's religion didn't lead to reflection, humility, or repentance in Iraq; only to the never-questioned resolve of a zealot. Not only did he ignore the deep concerns of former military leaders and foreign policy experts, this self-described man of faith consistently defied the strong opposition to the war in Iraq from so many religious leaders, at home and around the world. But while Bush's religion didn't cause him to change the course of his war in Iraq, the American people finally have. And now it is up to us, the Congress, and even the White House to stop the course.

The only moral and practical course now is to change U.S. policy, starting with an open, honest, and full national debate about one question – how to extricate U.S. forces from Iraq with the least possible damage to everyone involved – Americans, Iraqis, all their Middle Eastern neighbors, and a world longing for security. To achieve real security, we must defeat the agendas of both the terrorists and the militant neo-conservatives who seek endless war in response to terrorism. It is the neo-conservative's domination of American foreign policy that has so severely damaged our integrity around the world. We need a national debate on both how to get Americans out of Iraq and how to stabilize that devastated nation – neither of which can happen without the involvement of the international community, including Iraq's neighbors who have so much at stake in the outcome.

Everyone in Washington is now waiting for the recommendations of the Baker/Hamilton Commission, the bipartisan group authorized to come up with desperately needed new directions for U.S. policy, and whose recommendations will come in December. The Commission report will be the beginning of our needed national debate. For that debate to be successful, I believe the United States must agree to three things:

1. Reject all plans for permanent American military bases in Iraq.
2. Give up any unique claim on Iraqi oil.
3. Agree to substantially fund the re-building of Iraq without any special relationship to the contracts to do the job.

That's just taking responsibility for all the horrible damage we have done. Only after we have done so can we search for the practical and honorable ways to leave Iraq while seeking to help ensure its security and the political resolution of its future. Neither "staying the course" nor "cutting and running" is morally responsible or politically practical anymore, and a new course must now be found – given the rapid deteri0ration in Iraq, as soon as possible.

We must hope and pray that President Bush will heed the voice of the people in this last election and become a key participant in the national debate of how best to get out of Iraq – how to correct the mistake of his war. The first thing he should do is to stop saying the things he again said in Estonia this week – that there really isn't a civil war in Iraq, and al Qaeda is just stirring up sectarian conflict. More denials of the realities in Iraq while merely blaming outside terrorists is as ridiculous as it is embarrassing. Stop it! Just stop it! Such statements travel around the world and make the president sound like he wasn't paying attention on November 8.

We the people, through the Congress of the United States, must have that national debate. Hopefully this debate will include the White House, but if necessary, we must have it in spite of the administration. The American people have now spoken and must now change the course of the war in Iraq. Conducting that national debate must be one of the first orders of business for the new Congress – a real debate of the sort that the Bush administration failed to allow before, but now must politically accept. George Bush says he is responsible for this war, and he is. But we are all now responsible for stopping this war.

The House and Senate must lead the national debate on the war in Iraq, and seek alternatives to the flawed and failed policies that will just continue to kill more people. The lives of many Americans and Iraqis are at stake. We cannot afford to wait two more years.

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

- Proverbs 31:8-9

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The Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches a fundamental point that we have often overlooked. At the crucial moments when God displayed mighty acts in history to reveal [God's] nature and will, God also intervened to liberate the poor and oppressed.

- Ronald J. Sider

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the latest news on the Iraq Study Group, the Iraq civil war, Iran, Israel-Palestine, abortion in Nicaragua, the NYC police shooting, the Pope in Turkey, religion and politics, the wealth gap, congress, and select opinion articles

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Iraq Study Group. Iraq group seeks consensus – “As President Bush headed to an overseas summit on the Middle East, a federal commission searching for a bipartisan approach to the Iraq war met Monday in Washington to begin working on its final report.” How Iraq panel went from obscure to high profile – “How an obscure panel became a policy touchstone for Republicans and Democrats is a story in itself. More important, it illustrates those rare moments when a crisis reaches such a point that official Washington temporarily loosens hold of the reins. It's in those moments that experienced outside voices - think the 9/11 and Warren commissions - can make themselves heard.”

Iraq–civil war. Civil War in Iraq Near, Annan Says – “In a sign of the growing global concern about Iraq's fate, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan appealed for immediate steps to prevent the country from crumbling into all-out civil war.” Bucking White House, NBC says Iraq in 'civil war' – “NBC's "Today Show" host Matt Lauer yesterday told millions of American television viewers, many sitting at their breakfast tables, that the network would buck the White House and from now on describe the Iraq war as a "civil war."

Iraq & Iran. Iraq tells Iran: `We are desperately in need of help' – “Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrived Monday for two days of talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, admitting that Iraq was "desperately in need of help" to quell escalating insurgent attacks.” Iran Promises to Help Iraq in Ending Violence There – “Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, pledged in a meeting with the Iraqi president that Iran would do all it could to stop the growing violence in Iraq.” Bush Asking Arab Friends for Iraq Help – “As President Bush and his top diplomats try to halt the downward spiral in Iraq and Lebanon, they seem intent on their strategy of talking only to Arab friends, despite increasing calls inside and outside the administration for them to reach out to Iran and Syria as well.”

Iraq-violence. Rising violence swells ranks of Iraq's militias – “Retaliatory attacks sparked by last week's massive bomb assault on a Shiite neighborhood are driving more Iraqis into the ranks of sectarian militias amid rising distrust of government security forces,” Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq - “Between 1,000 and 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias have been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said.”

Israel-Palestine. Israeli and Palestinian leaders committed to Gaza cease-fire – “After five months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israeli and Palestinian leaders moved to shore up a cease-fire that both sides had sought as relief from a politically costly conflict that has left more than 300 people dead.” Israeli Premier Makes an Offer to Palestinians – “Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, trying to build on a shaky cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, on Monday offered Palestinians a series of incentives, including negotiations and a prisoner release, if they turned away from violence." Abbas commends Olmert 'peace offer' – “Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has said that a peace initiative proposed by Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, was a "positive" step toward peacemaking." Abbas: Olmert initiative 'positive' step toward peace-making – “Abbas said if Olmert's "intentions are good, then we can build on this [his initiative] in order to put forward a plan for future negotiations on all issues related to the Palestinian cause."

Abortion-Nicaragua.Nicaragua's Total Ban On Abortion Spurs Critics – “With the exception of Cuba, every nation in this predominantly Catholic region either totally prohibits abortion or limits it to extreme circumstances. And while the global trend over the past decade has been to liberalize abortion laws, efforts to do so in Latin America have been met by an equally determined campaign to strengthen them further.”

NYC police shooting. Mayor Calls 50 Shots by Police 'Unacceptable´- “Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg convened an extraordinary meeting of black religious leaders and elected officials at City Hall yesterday to calm frayed tempers over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in Queens, calling the circumstances “inexplicable” and “unacceptable.”

Religion-Pope in Turkey.Pope calls for religious exchange – “Pope Benedict XVI has called for an "authentic dialogue" between Christians and Muslims in a speech at Turkey's directorate of religious affairs.”

Religion & politics. Pastor Chosen to Lead Christian Coalition Steps Down in Dispute Over Agenda – “The president-elect of the Christian Coalition of America, which has long served as a model for activism for the religious right, has stepped down, saying the group resisted his efforts to broaden its agenda to include reducing poverty and fighting global warming.”

Rich and very rich. Very Rich Are Leaving the Merely Rich Behind - “The opportunity to become abundantly rich is a recent phenomenon not only in medicine, but in a growing number of other professions and occupations. In each case, the great majority still earn fairly uniform six-figure incomes, usually less than $400,000 a year, government data show. But starting in the 1990s, a significant number began to earn much more, creating a two-tier income stratum within such occupations.”

Congress. New Congress Unlikely to Rush Toughest Issues – “Democratic lawmakers vow to come roaring out of the blocks when they assume control of the next Congress, passing several top-priority bills in the first 100 hours. Absent from that list, however, are the knottiest problems that bedeviled the outgoing Congress, including immigration, domestic surveillance and the war in Iraq.” Democrats to receive Bush budget warning – “President Bush will try to work out a deal on spending with the new Democratic majority on Capitol Hill, but will be prepared to veto bills that exceed his total budget or that slice away at defense needs,”

Editorial. Global Warming Goes to Court– “The Bush administration has been on a six-year campaign to expand its powers, often beyond what the Constitution allows. So it is odd to hear it claim that it lacks the power to slow global warming by limiting the emission of harmful gases. But that is just what it will argue to the Supreme Court tomorrow, in what may be the most important environmental case in many years.” (New York Times)

Op-Ed. Can the GOP Find Its Center? - "The center does not try to read anybody out of the party," the experienced Republican politician declared. "But the farther you go in either direction, the greater the inclination to read others out." He deplored party purges as "political cannibalism" and insisted: "The center must lead." That was Richard M. Nixon, … This fall's election defeat was inglorious for Republicans because it ratified Nixon's original worries about the cost of chasing away the GOP's moderates.” (E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post)

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and knows everything.

- 1 John 3:18-20

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As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.

- Toni Morrison

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Every year about this time, Bill O'Reilly opens his "war on Christmas" campaign — his annual attempt to rile up Christians over the "secularization" of the day celebrating Jesus' birth. His targets typically include retailers who wish customers "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and elementary schools with "holiday programs" instead of Christmas pageants.

I'm betting he won't call attention to the Loma Linda Homeowners Association in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

According to the Associated Press, this southwestern Colorado homeowners group is threatening to fine Lisa Jensen, one of its residents, $25 a day until she removes an offensive Christmas wreath. The offense? The lighted wreath, complete with a red velvet bow, is shaped like a peace symbol.

Ms. Jensen's neighbors are upset because they believe that the wreath protests the Iraq war; others have complained that it symbolizes Satan. Ms. Jensen claims that it is not a war protest, saying, "Peace is way bigger than not being at war. This is a spiritual thing."

She also says she will not take down the wreath, even though the fines will amount to more than $1,000 by Christmas day.

The peace symbol was designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a Christian conscientious objector to World War II, as the logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Holtom had originally designed the symbol as a cross inside a circle to be carried during a protest march against nuclear weapons to Canterbury Cathedral on Easter weekend.

Some Church of England clergy complained about the use of the cross in a protest rally, so Holtom slightly altered the sign, allowing the arms of the cross to dip in resignation. Later, he explained the design to a friend in this way: "I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya's peasant before the firing squad."

Only later, after the symbol proved popular in both the civil rights movement and in protests against the Vietnam War, did right-wing political and religious groups attempt to define the symbol as either Communist or Satanic. Such renderings are wrong. The peace symbol is Christian — as the designer himself described — a sign of despair that Christ's peace might never be realized on this earth.

I don't know about Ms. Jensen's motives or politics, but I know that she has perfectly captured my mood as Christmas approaches. Like Holtom, I feel little but despair over the war in Iraq. This war isn't about the glorious triumph of the Cross. No, the arms of the sacred tree have dropped in pain and sorrow. Palms downward facing out, all we can do about now is beg for mercy — as thousands of Iraqis die in a civil war that we unleashed. God help us.

You are right, Ms. Jensen. Peace is way bigger than war. Peace is a "spiritual thing." And it is a Christmas thing. "For a child has been born to us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Peace is the hope of the world that is promised to us through the birth of Jesus Christ. Peace is Christmas.

Forget Wal-Mart. This hapless homeowners association has attacked the real meaning of Christmas! At the very least, they do not appear to be reading the gospel of Luke. Maybe they are too busy denouncing angel figurines trumpeting "peace on earth" as traitorous to the war effort. Or perhaps they are contemplating what to do with those statues of the Virgin Mary. After all, she preached that radical sermon on casting rulers from thrones, filling the hungry with good things, and sending the rich away. I bet the mother of Jesus wouldn't like this war much, either.

Oh, and Ms. Jensen: I'm planning on copying your wreath and hanging it on my house this Advent. Thank you for reminding us that peace is a spiritual thing.

Diana Butler Bass (http://www.dianabutlerbass.com/) is the author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (Harper San Francisco), recently named by Publishers Weekly as one of the best religion books of 2006.

At the beginning of the Thanksgiving weekend, I put the eulogy that I gave at my father's recent memorial service up on the blog. It seemed fitting, though personal, as my remembrances of him were filling my heart and mind as I reflected on what I was most thankful for. All weekend, I received very personal and, for me, very moving responses to my Dad's eulogy from many readers - almost 100. Let me just say how much those responses have meant to me and have "ministered" to me over these last few days. And I have passed them on to all my siblings and the many grandchildren. So from me and all of us, thank you very much. I've picked out just a few below to share with our readers. The complete comments still appear after the column under "comments." There is much wisdom here along with love and sympathy.

Dear Jim, thank you so much for sharing your heart with all of us. St. John Chrysostom (347-381 A.D.) once wrote: "Those whom we have loved and lost are no longer where they were before. They are now wherever we are." The Communion of Saints is a beautiful reality. May you and your dear ones experience the comfort of your father's ongoing love and care!

What a wonderful and moving testimony to Jim Wallis, Sr. You never get over the death of a loved one - you learn to live with it and incorporate into the fabric of life - which it really is. You dad will continue to live in you, Jim Jr., and the millions of us whom you have touched with your ministry.

As I Hospice Chaplain, we deal with grief a lot. I came across "An Affirmation for Those Who Have Lost," by James E. Miller: "I believe there is no denying it; it hurts to lose. It hurts to lose a cherished relationship with another, or a significant part of one's self. It can hurt to lose that which has united one with the past or that which has beckoned one into the future. It is painful to feel diminished or abandoned, to be left behind of left alone. Yet, I believe there is more to losing than just the hurt and the pain. For there are other experiences that loss can call forth. I believe that courage often appears, however quietly it is expressed, however easily it goes unnoticed by others: the courage to be strong enough to surrender, the fortitude to be firm enough to be flexible. I believe a time of loss can be a time of learning unlike any other, and that it can teach some of life's most valuable lessons. In the act of losing there is something to be found. In the act of letting go, there is something to be grasped. In the act of saying 'Goodbye' there is a hello to be heard. For I believe living with loss is about beginnings as well as endings. And grieving is a matter of life more than death. And growing is a matter of mind and heart and soul more than of time. Finally, I believe in the promising paradoxes of loss. In the midst of darkness, there can be great light; at tbe bottom of despair, there can appear a great hope; and deep within loneliness, there can dwell a great love. I believe these things because others have shown the way - others who lost and have then found new meaning. So I know I am not alone: I am accompanied, day after day, night after day."

My heart and blessings go with you. As one who provided in-home hospice for my mother and held her as she 'went home', I know the sadness and joy that goes with saying "see you later" to a dear loved one. Also, as an experienced psychotherapist who has significant expertise in the area of death, your comment that "I'm not doing well" followed by your assertion to grieve him well, tells me you are doing very well in the way we all should.

Jim, your honesty about your feelings concerning your father has hit a chord amongst many of your readers, including myself. My dad, a father and friend I miss terribly, passed away six years ago. He also had an impact on many people and that impact is what makes it a little easier to handle those awful waves that still come from nowhere. Sometimes those waves will come at you with sudden ferocity in public or in private places. To grieve well is indeed wise and healing. Thank for opening yourself up to so many of us at such a vulnerable time in your life.

On Thanksgiving, I thank God for your dad. He is so inspiring to me. God bless you, comfort you, and continue to inspire your work.

I read your article on Thanksgiving Day as I spent time with my parents and one set of siblings. Thanks for reminding me to appreciate my family, and for the story of what kind of family I can aspire to have one day.

I've just reading your beautiful eulogy to your father and want to send my condolences to you and your family. I have been moved to tears reading about your father's life - I've longed to know a mentor like him all my life and had begun to believe that Christians like him didn't exist. It's so heartening to hear thay they do - your father, through his death, is inspiring me to aim higher in how I live my life and how I relate to others around me. What a wonderful legacy. May you and all your family know the Lord's peace and presence as you take the time to grieve him well.

What an inspiration to read your description of your father's life! His legacy lives on to bless even strangers through your words and life.

Dear Jim, I know you through reading Sojourners and God's Politics, and now can discern where some of your faith and faithfulness come from. Your tribute to your father was an inspiration, and will influence all who read it to be drawn to Our Lord and Savior!

Thank you for "sharing" your father with us, your readers. Even in his death, his faith continues to work and has touched me.

What a man! What a life! What a legacy! Thank you for pemitting us, in ways, to partake of that legacy!

God bless you for the beautiful tribute to your father. I have tears in my eyes as I reflect on what you have written. Though I don't know you or your father, somehow you have touched a cord and I am in awe of his life and his example. I have never been this touched, inspired, and saddened over the death of someone I never knew. I also read "The Rubble of War" and cannot imagine what horrors he has seen in his life. The image of the 5 year old girl walking out of the lifeless rubble is haunting and I will always carry it with me when I explain to others how tragic and awful war is and how all of humanity suffers because of it. God bless you and your family. May we all fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith.

Jim, I'm so sorry to hear of Uncle Jim's passing. He was such a sweet and dear man. He had the very unusual talent to maintain a great sense of humor without a hint of mean-spiritedness. I'll always remember that, despite the inumerable social and spiritual demands of his schedule, he never seemed too busy to have a very in-depth conversation with a child. No matter how silly the topic seemed to be, he listened intently and was completely engaged. I try to adhere to this example when I'm feeling frazzled and my daughter seeks my attention. The love he and Auntie Phyl shared throughout their lives is the relationship I try to emulate with my husband. Thanks for sharing the eulogy with us.